Pride andPrejudice
Jane Austen
Chapter 54
As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover her spirits; or in
other words, to dwell without interruption on those subjects that must
deaden them more. Mr. Darcy’s behaviour astonished and vexed her.
‘Why, if he came only to be silent, grave, and indifferent,’ said she, ‘did he
come at all?’
She could settle it in no way that gave her pleasure.
‘He could be still amiable, still pleasing, to my uncle and aunt, when he was
in town; and why not to me? If he fears me, why come hither? If he no
longer cares for me, why silent? Teasing, teasing, man! I will think no more
about him.’
Her resolution was for a short time involuntarily kept by the approach of her
sister, who joined her with a cheerful look, which showed her better satisfied
with their visitors, than Elizabeth.
‘Now,’ said she, ‘that this first meeting is over, I feel perfectly easy. I know
my own strength, and I shall never be embarrassed again by his coming. I
am glad he dines here on Tuesday. It will then be publicly seen that, on both
sides, we meet only as common and indifferent acquaintance.’
‘Yes, very indifferent indeed,’ said Elizabeth, laughingly. ‘Oh, Jane, take
care.’
‘My dear Lizzy, you cannot think me so weak, as to be in danger now?’
‘I think you are in very great danger of making him as much in love with
you as ever.’
* * * * *
They did not see the gentlemen again till Tuesday; and Mrs. Bennet, in the
meanwhile, was giving way to all the happy schemes, which the good
humour and common politeness of Bingley, in half an hour’s visit, had
revived.
On Tuesday there was a large party assembled at Longbourn; and the two
who were most anxiously expected, to the credit of their punctuality as
sportsmen, were in very good time. When they repaired to the dining-room,
Elizabeth eagerly watched to see whether Bingley would take the place,
which, in all their former parties, had belonged to him, by her sister. Her
prudent mother, occupied by the same ideas, forbore to invite him to sit by
herself. On entering the room, he seemed to hesitate; but Jane happened to
look round, and happened to smile: it was decided. He placed himself by
her.
Elizabeth, with a triumphant sensation, looked towards his friend. He bore it
with noble indifference, and she would have imagined that Bingley had
received his sanction to be happy, had she not seen his eyes likewise turned
towards Mr. Darcy, with an expression of half-laughing alarm.
His behaviour to her sister was such, during dinner time, as showed an
admiration of her, which, though more guarded than formerly, persuaded
Elizabeth, that if left wholly to himself, Jane’s happiness, and his own,
would be speedily secured. Though she dared not depend upon the
consequence, she yet received pleasure from observing his behaviour. It
gave her all the animation that her spirits could boast; for she was in no
cheerful humour. Mr. Darcy was almost as far from her as the table could
divide them. He was on one side of her mother. She knew how little such a
situation would give pleasure to either, or make either appear to advantage.
She was not near enough to hear any of their discourse, but she could see
how seldom they spoke to each other, and how formal and cold was their
manner whenever they did. Her mother’s ungraciousness, made the sense of
what they owed him more painful to Elizabeth’s mind; and she would, at
times, have given anything to be privileged to tell him that his kindness was
neither unknown nor unfelt by the whole of the family.
She was in hopes that the evening would afford some opportunity of
bringing them together; that the whole of the visit would not pass away
without enabling them to enter into something more of conversation than the
mere ceremonious salutation attending his entrance. Anxious and uneasy, the
period which passed in the drawing-room, before the gentlemen came, was
wearisome and dull to a degree that almost made her uncivil. She looked
forward to their entrance as the point on which all her chance of pleasure for
the evening must depend.
‘If he does not come to me, THEN,’ said she, ‘I shall give him up for ever.’
The gentlemen came; and she thought he looked as if he would have
answered her hopes; but, alas! the ladies had crowded round the table, where
Miss Bennet was making tea, and Elizabeth pouring out the coffee, in so
close a confederacy that there was not a single vacancy near her which
would admit of a chair. And on the gentlemen’s approaching, one of the girls
moved closer to her than ever, and said, in a whisper:
The men shan’t come and part us, I am determined. We want none of them;
do we?’
Darcy had walked away to another part of the room. She followed him with
her eyes, envied everyone to whom he spoke, had scarcely patience enough
to help anybody to coffee; and then was enraged against herself for being so
silly!
‘A man who has once been refused! How could I ever be foolish enough to
expect a renewal of his love? Is there one among the sex, who would not
protest against such a weakness as a second proposal to the same woman?
There is no indignity so abhorrent to their feelings!’
She was a little revived, however, by his bringing back his coffee cup
himself; and she seized the opportunity of saying:
‘Is your sister at Pemberley still?’
‘Yes, she will remain there till Christmas.’
‘And quite alone? Have all her friends left her?’
‘Mrs. Annesley is with her. The others have been gone on to Scarborough,
these three weeks.’
She could think of nothing more to say; but if he wished to converse with
her, he might have better success. He stood by her, however, for some
minutes, in silence; and, at last, on the young lady’s whispering to Elizabeth
again, he walked away.
When the tea-things were removed, and the card-tables placed, the ladies all
rose, and Elizabeth was then hoping to be soon joined by him, when all her
views were overthrown by seeing him fall a victim to her mother’s rapacity
for whist players, and in a few moments after seated with the rest of the
party. She now lost every expectation of pleasure. They were confined for
the evening at different tables, and she had nothing to hope, but that his eyes
were so often turned towards her side of the room, as to make him play as
unsuccessfully as herself.
Mrs. Bennet had designed to keep the two Netherfield gentlemen to supper;
but their carriage was unluckily ordered before any of the others, and she
had no opportunity of detaining them.
‘Well girls,’ said she, as soon as they were left to themselves, ‘What say you
to the day? I think every thing has passed off uncommonly well, I assure
you. The dinner was as well dressed as any I ever saw. The venison was
roasted to a turn—and everybody said they never saw so fat a haunch. The
soup was fifty times better than what we had at the Lucases’ last week; and
even Mr. Darcy acknowledged, that the partridges were remarkably well
done; and I suppose he has two or three French cooks at least. And, my dear
Jane, I never saw you look in greater beauty. Mrs. Long said so too, for I
asked her whether you did not. And what do you think she said besides?
‘Ah! Mrs. Bennet, we shall have her at Netherfield at last.’ She did indeed. I
do think Mrs. Long is as good a creature as ever lived—and her nieces are
very pretty behaved girls, and not at all handsome: I like them prodigiously.’
Mrs. Bennet, in short, was in very great spirits; she had seen enough of
Bingley’s behaviour to Jane, to be convinced that she would get him at last;
and her expectations of advantage to her family, when in a happy humour,
were so far beyond reason, that she was quite disappointed at not seeing him
there again the next day, to make his proposals.
‘It has been a very agreeable day,’ said Miss Bennet to Elizabeth. ‘The party
seemed so well selected, so suitable one with the other. I hope we may often
meet again.’
Elizabeth smiled.
‘Lizzy, you must not do so. You must not suspect me. It mortifies me. I
assure you that I have now learnt to enjoy his conversation as an agreeable
and sensible young man, without having a wish beyond it. I am perfectly
satisfied, from what his manners now are, that he never had any design of
engaging my affection. It is only that he is blessed with greater sweetness of
address, and a stronger desire of generally pleasing, than any other man.’
‘You are very cruel,’ said her sister, ‘you will not let me smile, and are
provoking me to it every moment.’
‘How hard it is in some cases to be believed!’
‘And how impossible in others!’
‘But why should you wish to persuade me that I feel more than I
acknowledge?’
‘That is a question which I hardly know how to answer. We all love to
instruct, though we can teach only what is not worth knowing. Forgive me;
and if you persist in indifference, do not make me your confidante.’
. Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Chapter 54
As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover. Mrs. Long is as good a creature as ever lived and her nieces are
very pretty behaved girls, and not at all handsome: I like them prodigiously.’
Mrs. Bennet,